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Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions of Israel throughout the world (This is just a small sample of the BDS actions taking place worldwide. They have become so numerous that time does +not permit to post them all.) March 19, 2011 My Journey to BDS by Roger Waters of Pink Floyd In 1980, a song I wrote, “Another Brick in the Wall Part 2,” was banned by the government of South Africa because it was being used by Black South African children to advocate their right to equal education. That apartheid government imposed a cultural blockade, so-to-speak, on certain songs, including mine. Twenty-five years later, in 2005, Palestinian children participating in a West Bank festival used the song to protest Israel’s apartheid wall. They sang “We don’t need no occupation! We don’t need no racist wall!” At the time, I hadn’t seen first-hand what they were singing about. August 31, 2010 Independent - Israeli actors refuse to take the stage in settlement theatre Five leading Israeli theatres were facing a mounting political row yesterday after a pledge by 60 of the country's most prominent actors, writers and directors to boycott the companies' planned performances in a Jewish West Bank settlement. The companies triggered the protest by planning a programme of performances to mark the opening of a new £6.4m cultural centre in the West Bank settlement of Ariel later this year. August 13, 2010 Mondoweis - Boycott by Irish artists marks a new way forward These days, victories in the cultural boycott of Israel have been piling up and it’s easy to become blasé at what we’re achieving. But a new and important milestone has been reached in Ireland – yesterday was the day that cultural boycott moved from being a reactive to a pro-active campaign. July 17, 2010 Dockworkers, Worldwide, Respond to Israel's Flotilla Massacre and Gaza Siege Three weeks after the massacre on the Freedom Flotilla, ILWU dockworkers in the San Francisco Bay area delayed an Israeli Zim Lines ship for 24 hours, the Swedish Dockworkers Union began a week-long blockade of Israeli ships and containers, dockers in the Port of Cochin, India, refused to handle Israeli cargo, and the Turkish dockworkers union Liman-Is announced their members would refuse to service any Israeli shipping. In South Africa, Durban dockers had already boycotted a Zim Lines ship in response to the invasion of Gaza last year. On the 5th Anniversary of the United Palestinian Call for Boycott Divestment and Sanctions, Israel faces the prospect of targetted industrial action to implement boycotts. How did it happen, what does it mean, and how can the solidarity movement respond to the new opening? July 14, 2010 Meg Ryan and Dustin Hoffman Cancel Participation in Israeli Film Festival
Methodist Church to boycott goods from illegal Israeli settlements The Chochin dockworkers join workers at ports in Sweden, South Africa, and other countries who have refused to unload Israeli cargo. Calls for boycotts against Israel intensified in the wake of the flotilla raid. On June 20th, dockworkers in Oakland, California, refused to unload an Israeli cargo ship after protesters picketed at the dock.
June 20, 2010 World Federation of Trade Unions calls for a three day strike on loading of Israeli vessels We call on all naval workers, dock workers and all workers and all unions in the ports to refuse to load or unload ships coming or heading for Israel. This action is a practical demonstration of the militant solidarity with the Palestinian People. This is a proof of militant solidarity against the blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Norwegian Port Union Boycotts Israeli Ships Responding to requests from the Palestinian Workers Union and other unions and organizations around the world, the Norwegian Ports Union decided to follow its Swedish counterpart by launching a boycott on all Israeli ships. The boycott will begin on June 16.
California protesters prevent unloading of Israeli ship
May 19, 2010 Straight.com - Elvis Costello cancels two concerts in Israel [Note
the comments and the votes at the end of this article.
Straight.com readers know what is right. When will our
politicians have the courage to stand up to Israel?]
April 16, 2010 WJC - British trade union federation launches campaign against Israeli products from West Bank
January 27, 2010 IMENC - Danish Companies To Divest From Israel November 19, 2009 WCC - Israel settlement decision "deplorable", says WCC Churches and other ecumenical partners of the World Council of Churches (WCC) have received an appeal to "mobilize their members and the public" in resistance to Israel's approval for the construction of 900 new housing units in the Gilo settlement on traditionally Palestinian land in East Jerusalem.
September 15, 2009 Haaretz - US pension giant confirms divestment from Israeli firm The U.S. pension fund giant, TIAA-CREF, confirmed in statements to the media on Friday that it divested from Africa Israel Investments, owned by Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev, earlier this year. The statements came in response to a letter initiated by a pro-Palestinian group, Adalah-NY, and signed by TIAA-CREF clients.
PNN - Brazilian Parliament recommends freezing out Israelis from third largest export marke The Brazilian Parliamentary Commission on Foreign Relations and National Defense has recommended that the parliament should not ratify the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Mercosur and the State of Israel until “Israel accepts the creation of the Palestinian state on the 1967 borders”. This decision is an explicit act of pressure on the Israeli government to comply with international law, and a rejection of years of incessant Israeli lobbying, pressuring for a vote to ratify the agreement.
September 9, 2009 EI - Why we back the boycott call When we decided to pull our film Looking for Eric from the Melbourne International Film festival following our discovery that the festival was part-sponsored by the Israeli state, This decision was taken by three filmmakers, (director, producer, writer) not in some private abstract bubble, but after a long discussion and in response to a call for a cultural boycott from a wide spectrum of Palestinian civil society, including writers, filmmakers, cultural workers, human rights groups, journalists, trade unions, women's groups and student organizations.
September 3, 2009 Reuters - Norway fund expels Israel firm for barrier work Norway's $400 billion-plus wealth fund has excluded Israeli company Elbit Systems (ESLT.TA) for supplying surveillance equipment for the separation barrier in the West Bank, the government said on Thursday. "We do not wish to fund companies that so directly contribute to violations of international humanitarian law," Finance Minister Kristin Halvorsen said in a statement. [Read annoucement from the Norwegian government]
WCC - Statement on Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory The
World Council of Churches has called for non violent resistance to the
Israeli Occupation of Palestine and for the Boycott of Israeli
occupation related product and business. Please note paragraphs cited below: (WCC) /*Invites *member churches and faithful to give moral and practical support to non-violent acts of resistance to the confiscation of land, the destruction of Palestinian properties and the eviction of people from their homes and lands, as the central committee recommended in 2001. (WCC/*) Reiterates* the need for an international boycott of settlement products and services, for member churches to inform themselves about settlement products imported into their countries and for churches to practice morally responsible investment in order to influence businesses linked to the Israeli occupation and its illegal settlements. [Please
note that the WCC includes 349 churches, denominations and fellowships
in more than 110 countries and territories throughout the world,
representing over 560 million Christians.]
August 7, 2009 Support charities that support the boycott of Israel! Oxfam boots Sex and the City star over settlement links HBO TV’s Sex and the City star Kristin Davis was suspended from her duties as Oxfam’s goodwill ambassador for her advertizing work with the illegal settlement-based company Ahava Dead Sea Laboratories... A source told the New York Post that Davis “was completely unaware of this conflict of interest and is saddened to be on public pause from a group she has devoted so much time, money, and support to." The paper quoted a spokesperson as saying the actress still intends to continue her work with Oxfam "for years to come."
July 1, 2009 Tikkun - For Once, the Yes Men Say No Protesting Israeli policies, The Yes Men have withdrawn their highly acclaimed new film from the Jerusalem Film Festival where it was scheduled to be shown.
June 11, 2009 Another BDS Success story Dexia Israel Stops Financing Israeli Settlements The Belgian-French financial group Dexia announced it will no longer finance Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories through its Israeli branch, Dexia Israel..... In the announcement Dexia’s management stated that financing Israeli settlements is against the bank’s code of ethics and it will stop giving loans for settlement construction for this reason.
June 8, 2009 Victory! Veolia Abandons Jerusalem Light Rail Project under Political Pressure In the first smashing and convincing victory of the global BDS movement in the field of corporate responsibility and ethical compliance, Veolia is reportedly abandoning the Jerusalem Light Rail project, an illegal project that aims at connecting Israeli colonies built on occupied Palestinian territory to the city of Jerusalem.
January 23, 2009 Oxford England City Council - Full Council Motion on Gaza/Israel Conflict The following Motion was adopted at the meeting of Full Council on 19 January 2009: 3) This Council welcomes the UK Government's call for a ceasefire and asks the Leader to write to the Prime Minister urging him to act urgently to ensure: a) An immediate end to Israel's military assault on Gaza January 18, 2009 UE General Executive Board Calls for End to Bloodshed in Gaza Meeting in Pittsburgh January 15 and 16, UE’s General Executive Board adopted a statement condemning the current war in the Gaza Strip. The union’s national leadership body reiterated the position adopted by delegates to UE’s 70th Convention in 2007, which called for "replacing the lopsided pro-Israel policy of the U.S. with a good faith, even-handed effort to achieve lasting peace between Israel and Palestine based on full justice and mutual respect." The GEB called on the incoming Obama administration to move quickly to initiate such a new policy.
The Service and Food Workers Union Nga Ringa Tota is calling on union members to join protests against the Israeli military aggression towards Gaza. SFWU Northern Regional Secretary Jill Ovens says many New Zealanders are feeling helpless to stop the massacre of the people in Gaza by the Israelis and we need to find a way to express our outrage. King's students stage sit-in over Gaza Students at King's College London are staging a sit-in protest on campus over the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza and the honorary doctorate bestowed on the Israeli president, Shimon Peres. In the latest of a flurry of occupations at English universities in response to Israel's actions in Gaza, more than 100 students took over a lecture theatre in the university yesterday. Kings students are demanding that the university issue a formal statement condemning Israel's bombing of Gaza and revoke the honorary doctorate Peres was awarded in November last year. Italy's largest union: Prosecute Israeli war crimes, suspend EU Agreement Federazione Impiegati Operai Metallurgici nazionale (FIOM), the largest metalworkers union in Italy, with 360,000 members called for prosecuting Israeli officials for war crimes and suspension of the European Union Agreement with Israel. FIOM-Cgil (the largest workers federation in Italy) is affiliated to European and international metalworkers federations. The following is a translation of their statement posted on the Union's website.
December 12, 2008 National Council of Churches (USA) - Dangers of 'Christian Zionism' are cited in new NCC brochure "Christian Zionism" is a dangerous movement that distorts the teachings of the Church, fosters fear and hatred of Muslims and non-Western Christians, and has negative consequences for Middle East Peace. A new brochure, Why We Should Be Concerned About Christian Zionism, by the Interfaith Relations Commission of the National Council of Churches (in English and Spanish) is now available as an educational tool for communions, congregations and other groups who want to share these warnings with their members. Christian Zionism, while ostensibly a Christian movement in support of Israel, actually has the opposite effect. This brochure shows Christian Zionism to be a misguided ideology that considers the State of Israel divinely ordained with the role of ushering in the end of history, where unconverted Jews and Christians of "questionable status" will be judged by God's wrath. In fact, the brochure points out, many evangelical Christians and Israelis reject the notion.... ....In its narrowest form, Christian Zionism advocates preserving control of historic Palestine, including Gaza and the West Bank, for the Jewish people alone, rejecting any peace settlement based on a two-state solution.
December 7, 2008 The European Parliament (EP) today postponed the vote on the proposal by the EU Commission and Council for the draft recommendation to conclude a Protocol to the EU-Israel Association Agreement and on the general principles governing the State of Israel`s participation in Community programmes . The vote was originally scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, December 4, in the EP in Brussels. [ For years, Europe and the United States have afforded Israel a variety of economic privileges. For the first time now, the option of making these conditional upon Israeli compliance with human rights conventions and international law is being seriously weighed.] Switzerland has accused Israel of wantonly destroying Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem and near Ramallah in violation of the Geneva Conventions' rules on military occupation. The Swiss Foreign Ministry demanded that Israel immediately halt the demolitions. You know the boycott campaign is catching on when an organization rejects Zionist money.... New York, NY, June 19, 2008 – A senior advisor to UNICEF's Director said in a letter today that UNICEF will reject all partnerships with, or financial support from, Israeli billionaire Lev Leviev. Leviev had previously provided UNICEF with support by sponsoring fundraising events in France. Leviev's past support for UNICEF is featured in a number of places on his company's website (www.leviev.com).
Defence for Children Internatinal (DCI) welcomes UNICEF's rejection of Leviev support DCI-Palestine played an active role in raising this issue with UNICEF:
we sent a letter of concern to UNICEF New York headquarters in April,
organised meetings with the UNICEF-oPt Country Representative, and met May 30, 2008 Haaretz - U.K. academic union moves to consider boycott of Israeli academia
Tom Hickey, who teaches philosophy at the University of Brighton, says
the motion highlighting the "humanitarian catastrophe imposed on Gaza
by Israel" is just shy of a full boycott, The Telegraph said. March 5, 2008 “We advocate for European suspension of the trade association agreement with Israel as a non-violent way to promote Palestinian rights and peace,” stated Feiler, “and this is the message we are taking to parliamentarians and politicians. Diplomats talk, but now is the time for action.”
February 16, 2008 London School of Economics students vote to divest from Israel February 3, 2008 Haaretz - U.S. Methodist Church renews drive for divestment from IsraelTensions are re-emerging between Jewish organizations and some mainline Protestant churches in the wake of a renewed drive for churches to divest from companies doing business with Israel. The United Methodist Church opened discussions last Friday on a resolution calling for divestment from Caterpillar, the tractor manufacturer, because the company supplies Israel with bulldozers used in building the separation barrier and in demolishing Palestinian homes. The divestment resolution comes only months after the publication of a church-sponsored report referring to the creation of the State of Israel as the "original sin." June 20, 2007 Press Release from the World Council of Churches Conference in Amman, Jordan Doing justice to the Palestinian people would bring about security for Israel, while delaying the end of the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories feeds extremism and terrorism, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Michel Sabbah told participants at a church conference for peace in the Middle East yesterday. UK trade union backs total boycott of Israel
The UK's largest trade union, UNISON, advocated on Wednesday a total
boycott of Israel over its continued occupation of Palestinian
territories. April 21, 2007 In a letter appearing in the Guardian on April 21, 2007, prominent UK physicians have called for a boycott of the IMA and its expulsion from the WMA. The letter follows: ".....Persistent
violations of medical ethics have accompanied Israel's occupation. The
Israeli Defence Force has systematically flouted the fourth Geneva
convention guaranteeing a civilian population unfettered access to
medical services and immunity for medical staff. Ambulances are fired
on (hundreds of cases) and their personnel killed. Desperately ill
people, and newborn babies, die at checkpoints because soldiers bar the
way to hospital. The public-health infrastructure, including water and
electricity supplies, is wilfully bombed, and the passage of essential
medicines like anti-cancer drugs and kidney dialysis fluids blocked. In
the West Bank, the apartheid wall has destroyed any coherence in the
primary health system. UN rapporteurs have described Gaza as a
humanitarian catastrophe, with 25% of children clinically malnourished.
April 19, 2007 IHT - British union call for boycott of Israeli goods LONDON: Britain's biggest journalists' union, The National Union of Journalists, has criticized Israel's "military adventures" and voted narrowly in favor of a boycott of Israeli goods. The vote followed calls by some British academics last year to ostracize their Israeli counterparts. ... The boycott call was initially part of a broader condemnation of Israel's so-called "slaughter of civilians" in Gaza and "savage pre-planned attack" last year on Lebanon but was separated for a specific vote. The condemnation of Israeli military action in Gaza and Lebanon was approved by a wider margin. Ha'aretz - Belgian defense min: Israel must pay for cluster bomb cleanup January 1, 2007 MESA - Why The Academic Boycott Is Necessary The fact that Zionist influence spreads far beyond Israel's area of dominion and now influences many of the policy making institutions of western governments, and particularly that of the United States, makes it imperative that Israel's oppressive behavior be singled out as a high priority case from among the many other oppressive regimes. December 17, 2006 Guardian UK - John Berger rallies artists for cultural boycott of Israel
The celebrated novelist, critic and artist John Berger today calls on
British writers and artists to undertake a "cultural boycott" of
Israel. In a letter to the Guardian, co-signed by, among others, the
artist Cornelia Parker, the musician Brian Eno, and writers Arundhati
Roy and Ahdaf Soueif, Berger calls for support for "our Palestinian and
Israeli colleagues".
September 27, 2006 YNet - Hi-tech firm boycotts Israel over 'war crimes' Following the recent war in Lebanon, Ynet has received several complaints from Israeli companies that have encountered refusal of companies from various countries to cooperate with Israelis because of the war. Haaretz - Irish lecturers call on EU to boycott Israeli universities September 19, 2006 Stopthewall.org - British Trade Unions: “Tear down the Apartheid Wall” August 29, 2006 Irish-Palestine Solidarity Campaign - Irish Tramline forced to cancel Israeli deal August 27, 2006 At a press conference held today in South Africa the Palestine Solidarity Committee, COSATU (the Congress of South African Trade Unions representing 1.2 million workers) and the South African Council of Churches called on the South African government to recall the ambassador to Israel and to implement sanctions against Israel. PACBI - We Don't Need no Occupation, We Don't Need no Racist Wall! JVP - Media distortion regarding the Presbyterian G.A. vote on divestment from Israel We here at Jewish Voice for Peace headquarters have been absolutely stunned by the Orwellian headlines and poor reporting about this week's Presbyterian General Assembly vote to use economic pressure to end the occupation. Counterpunch - Understanding the Presbyterian Vote America's largest Presbyterian church voted to continue policies of economic engagement in the Middle East. It affirmed its willingness to use its investment policies to press for peace in Israel-Palestine. The vote came two years after it's overwhelmingly support of a phased, selective divestment from Israel. PACBI - British Academics Vote for Boycotting Israeli Apartheid
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